Things Never Change
by AngelofGunsmoke
Summary: Vash returns with his brother, only to find Meryl and Milly have left. What happens to Vash and his brother? Will they go to find Meryl and her partner? Please R&R. Rated for violence and certain other stuff. VxM
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Trigun, or the characters for that matter.**

**A/N: This is my first fanfic and I hope you all enjoy. The first chapter is really short, but don't almost all stories start out short? Please R and R! Thankies!**

'_There's certain paths that you can take in this life. And along each individual paths, there are individual consequences. These consequences come when you least expect them, and they hit hard. My mistakes. My regrets. The lessons that I have learned. This path that I have chosen to take. Has it been worth it? These scars I have acquired. The things that I have chosen to believe in and the things I have chosen to disregard. The people I have encountered. The people I have lost. The people who have died on my behalf. I will ask again. Was it worth it, Rem?'_

Arms draped over his shoulder, swaying with every step the blond man took. He heaved his brother farther up his back and adjusted his arm around the twin, making sure he wouldn't lose grip and send his brother falling to the ground. Blood dripped to the ground, seeping through the bandages. The blond man gently laid his brother on the ground sending dust into the air. He coughed and wiped the sweat off his forehead.

"Man, you really are a handful. Conscious or unconscious." The man laughed to himself. Carefully undressing his brother's wounds, he reached over into the pocket of his red duster and pulled out a canteen. "You're using up all my water too, brother. What a pain." He smiled and unscrewed the cap to the canteen. The mixture between the water and blood made the man dizzy. He winced as he finished cleaning and dressing his brother's wounds. "You were really lucky, brother. You were lucky it was me." Quickly, he threw his twin back over his shoulder and continued walking, ignoring the gaping hole in his own shoulder.

'_All the people who died on __**HIS **__behalf. This putrid disgust I feel for him contradicted by this unconditional love. It's tearing me apart. His defeat only marks his new beginning. What am I really expecting from this?'_

The man stopped in his tracks, tilting his head to the sky.

'_All I can do is continue walking this path I have chosen. The consequences unknown, but sure to come. The one thing I do know is that I'm almost home…'_

He smiled.

"Home. I like the sound of that."

**OH MAN, was that short! Too short for my liking. It'll be longer I promise.**

**NOW! Don't forget to R&R! I could realllllyyy use it!**

**You know that's exactly what you want to do….so dew it!**


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: I do not own Trigun, or the characters for that matter.**

**This one is short as well, but trust me the next one will be longer and the one after that waaaayayyyayayayy longer. I thought I'd add some emotion. Please R and R! :D**

Not even two isles away Meryl Stryfe sat on the porch in her rocking chair. She stared off into the desert, the same direction that the blond man had taken off. She sat there every day after work waiting for his return. People started talking around the town, saying that he wasn't going to come back. Even Meryl's partner Millie was giving up hope. Meryl never did though. It had been on year since he had left. No letters from him and no signs of him. She slammed her fist against the arm of the rocking chair and her eyes welled up with tears. She bit her lower lip as it started to tremble.

"Hey Meryl?" Millie's high pitched voice came through the screen door. Meryl's partner stepped out onto the porch and frowned when she saw the pain and sadness etched on Meryl's face. "Oh Meryl…" Millie rushed to Meryl's side and gave her a giant hug. "Things will be okay. He is probably sitting in the middle of some town eating a big bag of donuts!" Millie smiled sincerely trying to cheer her friend up.

The attempt failed. Meryl looked away as the tears slowly rolled down her cheeks. "Listen," Millie continued. "You need a long needed break!" She reached into her pocket and pulled out a wad of double dollars. "I've been saving up for quite some time now, and I think it's about time you and I payed a visit to December! Don't you agree? Meryl?"

Meryl looked over at Millie. Her tears had stopped, but her eyes were still red and puffy. A faint smile creeped upon her lips and she nodded. "Let's pack our bags Millie! We'll head out tomorrow morning!" Meryl stood up and hurried inside. She walked into her room and pulled her dusty suitcase out of her closet. She unzipped it and laid it on her bed. Meryl opened her drawers and threw all her clothes into her suitcase. Out of the corner of her eye she saw a piece of paper lying on the bottom of her drawer. She picked it up and turned it over. Her eyes welled up with tears and she crumpled it up and threw it into the trash. There was a knock on the door and Millie walked in.

"Millie, make sure you pack everything!" Meryl said. "We won't be coming back."

Millie's eyes widened. "Well what if Mr. Vash comes back?" She fiddled with her thumbs.

"Well then he can come find us."

**Angel: Okay so maybe it was as long as I thought it would be. The paper makes it seems so much longer than it really is. Maybe I should stop writing so big! Please tell me what you think! But as I said before, the next one is for sure longer. And as for the one after that…It's super long.  
Don't forget to R&R!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Trigun, or any of the characters for that matter.**

**A/N: This chapter is a little bit longer than the last two. The chapters will get longer and longer as the story progresses and once I get more ideas.**

Chapter 3: Missing

Light creeped across the barren desert of Gunsmoke, causing teal eyes to slightly open. Vash lifted his arm over his eyes, trying to block the sunlight. Pain shot through his shoulder, and he grabbed it tightly, cringing and grinding his teeth. When the pain subsided, he pulled his hand away, only to find it covered in blood. Vash propped himself up on his elbow and looked at his twin who was still unconscious. He seemed so innocent, but Vash knew better than to let his twin's sleeping form fool him. Vash reached over into his pocket and pulled out the canteen, shaking it by his ear. Empty. He frowned and pushed himself up, heading over to his brother.

"Our water is gone, brother. We need to get back today. Just a couple more isles…" Vash sighed as he threw his twin over his shoulder. "Besides, when we get back we can finally rest." He smiled at the thought. He had traveled a long way to find his brother. When he finally found him, he was tired as is. Then, having to undergo a stress-filled, terrifying fight and having to carry his brother the very long distance he had traveled to get there in the very first place, left Vash exhausted past his extent. He had to keep going. He needed to get his brother treated by a doctor, as well as himself.

'_This path I continue to walk, and will always continue walking. It has lead me to great achievements in life. Along with great failures. What will happen next? Will he be open to me, or will he just shut me out again? I don't want to lose our connection ever again. I __**WONT **__let it happen. He is my brother. No matter what path he has chosen, I am proud to call him my kin. There is a reason behind his actions, I know that, but will anyone understand it? Will the girls understand why I kept him alive? Will they even let me in with this murderer on my back?'_

Vash closed his eyes and sighed. With his free arm, he rubbed his temple, causing pain to sear through his shoulder again.

"I can't keep going like this. Can we switch? You can carry me for the rest of the way." Vash joked with his unconscious brother. "Oh boy, that would be great. And then we'd be home and we'd be well. And there would be a mass amount of donuts on the table from the girls. Ooh, just thinking about it makes my tummy growl." He chuckled and found himself drooling over the thought of those sweet, precious donuts. At this, he began walking faster, determined to get home and have some freshly baked donuts. Not even an isle away he could see the faint arise of small buildings. A wide grin grew upon Vash's face that went ear to ear.

"Home," Vash broke into a semi-run, his legs trying to balance him and his brother. Vash's gangly self tried going as fast as he could without hurting his brother or himself. "I can almost smell the donuts now!" his teal eyes gleamed and his tongue hung out. His legs tripped over each other, causing him to fall face forward, sending his brother flying a few yarz away. Vash pushed himself onto his knees and crawled over to his brother. "I'm sorry," he smiled apologetically. He rolled his brother onto his back and sat back, resting his weight on his arms behind him. "I'm sorry, brother. I guess I just got overly excited," he sighed. "All I want is to rest. To get a good drink from the saloon. To get a shower. To finally relax and live a peaceful life. I want to see the gi-" he stopped in mid-sentence as the insurance girls hit his mind. Meryl and her angry grey eyes. She was sure to be mad at him for taking so long. Milly on the other hand would be delighted that he was back. After Meryl yelled and said her peace, she was sure to be happy as well.

"Maybe we can all go to the saloon tonight and celebrate," Vash said mostly to himself. Not that his unconscious brother couldn't hear him anyways. The thought of cold beer running down his dry throat gave Vash a smile. He stepped up, picked his brother up, and headed to the town he saw in the distance.

'_I'm almost there. The end of my journey is almost near. I can't wait to take my boots off and sit down. I can't wait to have something to drink. I can't wait to clean up and shave. I can't wait to be finally done with this. I can't wait to finally lead an almost normal life. Maybe we can just stay here. My brother and I, with the girls of course. I'm sure they'd like that too. We could be a…family'_

The word rang through his head as he reached for the doorknob of the house he had left one year ago.

"I'm finally here!" Vash's hands trembled as he opened the door and stepped in. "I'm home!" he smiled and then stopped, eyes scanning the empty house. Worried, Vash headed up to Milly's room and knocked. Getting no response, he opened the door and frowned. Nothing was there. Not even in the closet. The room was completely empty. Worry flooded over Vash's emotions as he quickly made his way to Meryl's room. Knocking, and not getting a response, he walked in to find the same emptiness. Vash laid his twin on Meryl's bed and set next to him. He laid his head in his hands and sighed. "They can't be gone," he said to himself as he caught a glimpse of a crumpled paper in the trash. He quickly got up and grabbed the paper, uncrumpling it. His eyes watered as he looked at the picture of Meryl and himself, and he slammed his fist against the desk next to him. He turned and laid on the bed, curling up next to his brother, like he did when they were kids. After a while, he finally drifted off to sleep.

**And there you have it. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Now I'm off to write even MORE for you guys!**

**Please R & R. I could really use it! I'm not used to writing this fanfic stuff!**

**Come on you know you want to!**

**Until next time,**

**AngleOfGunsmoke**


	4. Chapter 4

**DISCLAIMER: I do not own Trigun blah blah –Insert more disclaimer stuff here-**

**WELL Sorry I've been gone so long. Had a lot going on, but here is the new chapter! Finally.  
**

**4. Lunch**

_2 Years Later_

Meryl Stryfe typed away frivolously at her typewriter while biting on her lower lip. The clacking noises drowned out the quietness of the offices of Bernardelli Insurance Company. A hand gently rested on Meryl's shoulder, causing Meryl to jump out of her typewriter trance.

"Meryl, I've been talking to you and you haven't even acknowledged me," a short blonde girl seethed. Her hazel eyes sized up Meryl, noticing the disheveled look and red eyes that had black bags beneath them. "Your head just isn't in the game. What is wrong with you?"

"Karen I'm sorry. I was just spaced out," Meryl chuckled and scratched the back of her neck, immediately stopping herself. '_That's what __**he **__used to do'. _She flashed an empty smile and watched as Karen placed her hands on her hips. "I just haven't slept is all!" She said as she fidgeted in her chair.

"I can see that. Why don't you take a day off once in a while? You're always working and plus you've seemed really upset since you returned from following The Humanoid Typhoon around," She paused as Meryl bit her lip. "So he just disappeared?"

Meryl sighed and rested her head on her hands. "Three years today since he disappeared," She looked down as his teal eyes hit her mind. She tried forgetting him. His blonde locks, his tall lanky figure. Meryl looked back at Karen seeing her eyes filled with concern.

"What was he like?"

"That spikey-headed buffoon of a man? Well.." Meryl paused trying to gain her composure. "He was an idiot. A complete moron. All he ever did was eat, chase girls, and caused problems. Trouble always followed him. He was more of a bad omen than anything. He couldn't stay in one place for a certain amount of time. He spent a lot of time in saloons and just partying. And he had some pretty odd friends. But he had a lot of them. He was never serious…until…"she paused trembling.

"Until what?" Karen pushed on.

"Until a man came and took a lot of peoples' lives. Not once had I ever seen Vash so angry. He was always sweet. Always. Never wanting to hurt a soul. All he wanted was love and peace." Meryl chuckled as she remembered Vash repeating his mantra, holding up silly peace signs in front of peoples' faces. "Despite the rumors, and what people think and say about him, I've never seen a more caring and loving man." She finished, tears welling up in her eyes. "I just hope he's okay…"

Karen stood with her arms crossed. "Sounds like you LOVE him. I think you've been out in the desert way too long, Meryl. He probably just lied to you. Like a façade. Everyone knows he's a ruthless killer and if it weren't for him, a lot of people would still be alive today." She sneered.

"Oh I disagree, very much so, Ms. Karen." A high pitched voice said. Karen and Meryl looked up to see Millie walking up with a big smile on her face. "Meryl is right," She continued, shadowing over Karen. "Mr. Vash is a very, very nice person. You can't always go by rumors." She smiled and looked over Karen and Meryl. "Sure he has some secrets, but Mr. Vash has a truly pure heart." Millie knocked on her chest right over her heart. "You just have to meet him.

Karen laughed at the tall insurance girl and patted her on the shoulder. She then stepped aside and took one last glance at Millie and Meryl. "Are you two going to join me for lunch later?"

"Sure thing Ms. Karen!" Millie smiled and waved Karen off before turning back to Meryl. "Ya know Sempai, she is right. A little break here and there couldn't hurt," The younger woman held her smile. "Or maybe you could use a banana sundae from the café! Come on let's go meet Karen there!" She laughed as Meryl nodded and stood up, letting Millie practically drag her from her desk.

The café was serene and peaceful, and the breeze was cool and relaxing. Meryl looked up into the cloudless sky and took another bite from her banana sundae. It had been a perfect day other than having that spikey-headed idiot on her mind. Work was going by fast and she was enjoying her lunch with Millie and Karen. It was rare that the three of them ever hung out and it was nice. Karen and Millie were in a heated argument over types of pudding and Meryl smiled at the two of them as they voiced their opinions about tapioca and chocolate.

"What about you Meryl? What type of pudding do you like?" Millie chirped as four eager eyes looked at Meryl.

"Oh I dunno," Meryl sighed and swirled her spoon around what was remaining of the sundae. "I kinda like vanilla." She laid her cheek into her palm.

"Vanilla is good Sempai, but I still think Tapioca is the best!" Millie nodded setting down her empty pudding cup. "That sure was good. Thanks again Ms. Karen!"

"Don't worry about it!" Karen laughed. Meryl nodded in agreement and stood up, brushing off her skirt. Millie and Karen stood up as well, pushing their chairs in.

"Back to work I guess," Meryl pouted, not wanting to end the luxurious lunch. Spending time with the girls had taken Meryl's mind off of everything, and even gave her some well needed laughs. She twirled her now shoulder length hair around her finger as she walked back with the girls….

"Meryl you're doing it again. You're spacing out." Karen brought Meryl out of her own little world.

"I'm sorry I jus-" Meryl was cut off as a loud explosion sounded, sending smoke billowing from the center of town. The town's emergency sirens came on, sending people screaming and running back to the safety of their homes.

"Meryl come on we need to get inside!" Karen yelled as yet another explosion went off. She grabbed at Meryl's arm, but Meryl pulled back and shook her head.

"No Karen, you can go back," Meryl looked over to Millie who was awaiting the orders. "Get your stun gun Millie. We're going in!"

"Right Sempai!" Millie saluted, unslinging her stun gun. The two took off in the direction of the explosions, leaving Karen in shock.

"Wait I'm coming with!" she managed to yell as she tailed the two insurance girls. The three made their way to the center in impressive time, gasping for air. As soon as the girls caught their breath, they took in the scene before them. Where two building once stood, there was only rubble. Probably from the explosives, Meryl assumed. Four men stood in the midst.

"Come out; come out, wherever you are!" A tall man sang out. His hair was scraggly and unkempt, his beard reaching to his chest. A cigar hung from his lips. "You've got five minutes to show yourself before my buddy here blows up another building!" he yelled and took a puff from his cigar. One of the four men stepped in front of him, holding a small box in his hand. The man with the box laughed cynically, his fingers twitching.

"You better do as the boss man says or else this detonator in my hand will send this town sky high!" The man yelled. "My fingers are getting a little itchy!"

"And what if you're bluffing?" A cold voice called out, as a tall man appeared. Meryl gasped as the blonde man stepped in. He was wearing a white button up shirt with denim Levis. His hands were in his pockets as he slowly walked up.

"It can't be..." Meryl said under her breath. A hand landed on her shoulder and she looked up to find a serious Millie. She shook her head and pointed at the man.

"It's not, Sempai." Millie said lowly as Meryl looked at the man again. His hair was shorter and paler. His eyes weren't the teal color she had come to love, but ice blue. "He does have a freckle under his eye though," Millie whispered pointing again. "But it's on a different side." The man took a step closer and three of the four men lifted their guns.

"You really want to take that chance?" The man with the detonator stepped closer as well. The blonde man smiled wickedly causing hairs to stand up on Meryl's neck.

"Maybe." The blonde man replied as a gunshot rang through the air. The three insurance girls' eyes widened as they watched the detonator fly out of the bomber's hand. He clutched his hand closely to his chest, shaking in fear, as the other three looked around trying to find out who shot.

"Who the hell did that?" The bearded man turned, scanning the windows of the building surrounding them. The blonde man chuckled as he pulled out his black .45 long colt.

"That's just like Mr. Vash's!" Millie whispered. "The must have the same gunsmith!" Meryl and Karen both shushed Millie as they watched the blonde man aim his gun towards the group of men, pulling back the hammer.

"I suggest you leave if you know what's best for you." The blonde man's ice cold voice rung out. The four men laughed as they cocked their guns.

"One man against four! What a joke!" The bearded man laughed and was cut off as two more gun shots sounded, sending two remaining armed men guns to the ground. The three men ran, leaving the bearded man alone facing the tall blonde.

"Looks like it's one on one now." The bearded man frowned and took aim. Meryl closed her eyes as one last gunshot fired. She slowly opened her eyes seeing the bearded man's gun knocked out of his hand.

"Brother, you ruined all my fun." The tall blonde yelled, reholstering his gun. Wiping off his hands, he looked at the bearded man. "Now shoo, before my brother reaches you." Another man stepped in wearing a blue button up shirt and black w\Wranglers. Almost identical. The bearded man stuttered and took off.

"You make me sound worse than I really am, Knives." The new arrival chuckled, reholstering his gun as well. "Actually, I'd say I'm more forgiving than you!"

"AND WHAT DO YOU HAVE TO SAY FOR YOURSELF VASH?" Meryl stormed up to the two brothers with her fists clenched to her sides.

"Who me?" Vash asked, pointing at his nose.

"Yes you…you…YOU IDIOT! I waited for you and you had the audacity to disappear for so long! Leaving me thinking you had broken your promise, or ever worse! That you had DIED!" Meryl was red in the face, trying to restrain from punching the spikey headed idiot. Karen and Millie walked up behind Meryl.

"Oh, hey big girl!" Vash smiled and waved, ignoring Meryl's anger. "Who's your friend?" he asked, nodding towards Karen.

"Oh this is Ms. Karen!" Millie turned to Karen smiled. "Ms. Karen, this is Vash the Stampede!" Karen's jaw dropped. He was definitely NOT was she'd expected. Vash's eyes sparkled and he pushed Meryl aside, kneeling in front of Karen.

"Why, Miss Karen," he said, grabbing her hand and kissing it. "A fine lady such as yourself shouldn't travel unarmed in a dangerous town like this. You should be escorted by the finest of bodyguards such as me"

"Oh please, brother. You truly are an imbicile." Knives cut in, whacking Vash on the back of the head.

"OW that hurts you know!" Vash stood up rubbing the back of his head. He felt a petite hand roughly grab his ear.

"We need to talk." Meryl said sternly as she pulled him with her. "If you'll excuse us." She said as she passed Millie, Karen and Knives. Karen blinked and looked towards Millie and Knives.

"THAT was Vash the Stampede?"

"Yep, sure is!" Millie smiled. "And it looks like he is in a lot of trouble with Sempai!"

**Haha once again sorry it took so long. But hey, at least this chapter is a little longer! R and R!**

**See you soon!**


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